1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a removable hand grip for a hand tool and, in particular, to a removable grip for tennis rackets and the like.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A large number of devices such as sleeves, tapes and the like have been designed to provide a non-slipping, gripping surface for handles of hand tools and racket handles which often become coated with perspiration and oil. Popular among such devices are adhesive tapes of foam material that often have a rough exterior surface to facilitate gripping. Adhesive tapes, however, cannot be readily removed and often become clogged or saturated with perspiration and oil from the user.
Another device comprises a removable sleeve of a porous material such as terry cloth or sponge material shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,100. While the latter device can be removed and washed and thereby does not suffer the disadvantage of becoming saturated with perspiration and the like, this device is bulky and is not formed of readily compressible material. Consequently, the non-circular or asymmetric shape of a handle is obscured by the removable sleeve and the desired kinesthetic preception of the tool position in the user's hand is greatly inhibited or lost. Another disadvantage of sleeve of a material such as terry cloth or sponge is the high water retention of the latter materials. Under strenuous use, such as during a competitive atheletic contest, these materials can become water soaked, increasing greatly their weight (which tends to unbalance the tool) and decreasing their efficiency by preventing air circulation through the material.
Some attempts to retain a kinesthetic preception with a sleeve grip has been attempted by molding grooves into the exterior surfaces of a molded rubber or plastic sleeve. These sleeves, however, are permanently affixed to the tool handle and do not accomodate for different tool positions in a user's hand or different preferences of tool positions by various users.